Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 88: Custodio Sisters

A group of knights.

A knightly order.

Wu Chen wasn't surprised by the Holy Kingdom of Lobel's quick response—they were a war-torn nation perpetually in peril, constantly on the lookout for danger. Upon learning that a powerful human capable of destabilizing the regional situation had suddenly appeared and eliminated two dangerous demihuman nations, they naturally took immediate action.

Dispatching an elite force to meet, or rather, greet, the enemy is undoubtedly the most time-saving and efficient method. However, depending on the personnel configuration, this force may also undertake missions beyond greeting.

After all, the Holy Kingdom is not a monolithic entity.

When Wu Chen's gaze swept over them, he captured the aura of two powerful ones, which posed a slight threat to him, but should be weaker than the dead green dragon under his feet.

Two humans.

Two women.

One of them wore heavy armor and carried a sword that radiated divine power, presumably a relic. The other wore the robes of a priestess, carrying a scepter, the hems of her garments adorned with broken jade and gold. Both had light brown hair and were undoubtedly beautiful. The warrior leaned slightly more towards the heroic, while the priestess was more beautiful.

Wu Chen knew them—the Holy Queen's twin wings, the Custodio sisters whose close relationship with Calca often led to bizarre scandals. The elder sister was Remedios, the Nine-Colored White, leader of the Paladin Order, devoted solely to force and justice. The younger sister was the High Priestess, skilled in intrigue and political strife, who presided over a church whose power bordered on the royal throne.

Both were undoubtedly Heroic-ranked, representing the highest rank in the entire Holy Kingdom, nearly half of its actual combat power. After all, the average Nine-Colored rank in the Holy Kingdom was barely at the level of fine steel, and the number of Heroic-ranked warriors on the surface even had to subtract Kuirat, who had concealed the information that he could cast fifth-rank magic.

The Holy Kingdom's throne was actually supported by these two women. Without them, the Holy Kingdom would immediately fall to a level even lower than the Re-Estize Kingdom. Their presence here certainly signified the Holy Kingdom's respect for Wu Chen, but at the same time...

——It also means fear and vigilance.

This was as it should be. The beneficiaries of order hated external forces that challenged it the most. Any programmer knew that as long as a program worked, it was fine to leave it alone, even if refactoring the code would make it more streamlined and efficient. While the two sisters of the Holy Kingdom were undoubtedly happy to see a hero join them, they also feared this unknown hero would disrupt the Holy Kingdom's currently shaky political balance between the north and the south.

——I’ve also become able to see the international situation more clearly.

Wu Chen surveyed the shattered dragon's body beneath his feet and sighed with satisfaction. At that moment, he finally realized that only power purchased with real money and integrated into one's soul truly belonged to him and could accompany him through all realms. And as he watched, the adult green dragon finally drew its last breath.

——[Kill the green dragon 'Poison Thorn' and its minions, obtain 3000 resource points and 1 level 3 purchase vouchers.]

The dragon's characteristics and skills appeared in his eyes. And more importantly...

The mask of the dragon priest is ringing in the depths of dreams.

..............................

"Kuilat, what should we do next..."

Her warhorse pawed its hooves restlessly as Remedios Custodio whispered to her most trusted family and companion. She had seen the dragon soar into the sky, then be blown apart in seconds. She felt she could never do such a thing.

"...Are you still going to do it as we agreed before?"

She received an irritable response.

"Wait, let me think about it." She could hear the indecision in the tone of her sister, who was always smart.

Two days ago, when the Night Watchmen secretly relayed the news to the royal capital of Hobans, Kuirat was jubilant. Hero-level human warriors were so rare, and the arrival of such a powerful warrior was enough to change the Holy Kingdom's current predicament.

However, her joy was completely changed when the second messenger arrived and delivered the information that the demon city was destroyed and the hero named Dust had been proven to be a deviant.

Everyone else was still happy. Including the Holy Princess Calca, they all offered numerous suggestions to help this unfamiliar, powerful human join the Holy Kingdom. But his sister, privately, expressed deep worry. "Calca is in danger... not her life, but her status. If the Holy Kingdom wants to accommodate an abnormal individual, it must at least treat them the same as the Archmage of the Baharus Empire. If they were also female, or if Calca were male, then this problem would be easily solved. But if they harbored ambitions, then Calca's throne would be in grave danger."

She didn't understand, so she asked. However, Kuirat just shook his head sadly and made a sound like a sigh.

"Calca is too kind, which is why she's been unable to address the problems in the South. And it's precisely because of her kindness that when those who should be on her side offer proposals that appear to benefit everyone but her own personal well-being, she willingly swallows her grievances and sacrifices herself for the nation."

“Of course I understand that a king must shoulder his responsibilities. If something can improve the country, then the king, worshipped by the people, should set an example. However, as Calca’s friend, if I can do this, I wish her happiness.”

"Besides, I'm very afraid of one thing." At that time, Kuirat was carrying an ancient book.

"It's rare for a powerful person to appear without warning. Even if he comes from another part of the continent, it's still hard to determine Mr. Dust's true identity... If he's truly human, that's fine. But what if he's not human? What if he's transformed into a human form through magic like Transfiguration? In that case, what would become of our country?"

"Probably... not."

"This book records a race known as the Double Phantoms, capable of transforming into human form. Furthermore, powerful dragons are also capable of this. I certainly hope this is just my imagination, but as the High Priest of the Holy Kingdom, I must maintain this level of vigilance. And to verify this hypothesis, I can only rely on force."

"……force?"

"Well, with the two of us working together, plus the entire Paladin Order, we have a chance of defeating even the Empire's Archmage. And we don't have to make him our enemy—if we rush over with fanfare, powerful demihumans with intelligence will surely intercept us. All we have to do is create the illusion of fighting alongside him, and we can figure out his true nature in the process."

So that's how it was. Although Remedios's brain wasn't particularly sharp, she eventually grasped Querat's purpose. She knew that the Abelion Hills held prestigious sages like Seven-Colored Scale. He would surely seize the opportunity before this deviant joined the Holy Kingdom. She would seize this opportunity to mobilize the Holy Kingdom's core forces and address various issues simultaneously.

The best outcome is that the other party is a truly good person, then we and others will fight together with him, and at least we can develop some friendship with him.

The better outcome would be that the other party had a certain level of material desire, in which case they could demonstrate Calca's military might and try to draw him into the Holy Queen's camp, or at least maintain neutrality.

The worst-case scenario is that the other party has a vested interest in the Holy Kingdom. In that case, we can take advantage of this opportunity to see what they have in store and try to take precautions. If we find an opportunity, there's still the possibility of reconciliation.

And the worst... the worst outcome would at least allow a battle destined to ripple out countless people to take place in the Abelion Hills, home to the Holy Kingdom's hostile demihumans. He and his men would do their utmost to bring the battle to the demihuman realm. Regardless of the final outcome, at least the casualties among the people of the Holy Kingdom would be minimized.

Remedios was persuaded by this, and made her own decision without telling her lord. She actually had a strong liking for Dust, whom she had never met. After all, she knew from the Night Watchman that he had done a good job protecting the people of the Holy Kingdom during the attack.

Isn't a Paladin's mission to protect the people? How could someone who could do such a thing possibly harbor evil intentions? But since my clever sister had made her decision, I had no choice but to stick with her.

however……

The attacker did appear, but it wasn't the demi-human kings she knew, but a powerful green dragon. While this was within Kuirat's expectations, what happened next completely exceeded her imagination.

That dragon was no weakling, and she had no confidence of victory in a one-on-one fight. However, such a powerful green dragon couldn't even withstand the charge of a knight group before it was slain by Dust's magical power!
My sister's plan became a joke. No matter how thorough the plan was, it couldn't cope with the military force that was much stronger than expected. Even -

A cry of surprise came from the side, and the Knight Commander subconsciously grasped the holy sword in his hand.

The magic caster who had been admiring his own achievements just a moment ago had already appeared in front of the Knights. The thunder aura surrounding him dissipated, but he was still suspended in the air, emitting a powerful pressure.

"The timing of your appearance is quite coincidental," the man said, and he didn't seem to intend to give the Custodio sisters any room for explanation.

"But it doesn't matter. I will know the answer." A huge hand of power appeared around him, and it was undoubtedly a direct manifestation of the fifth-level magic "telekinesis".

Undisguised hostility erupted.

"I will also try my best not to harm any of you."

(End of this chapter)